Some food for thought: Here a​re six Conundrums of socialism in the United States of America:

1. America is capitalist and greedy - yet half of the population is subsidized.

2. Half of the population is subsidized - yet they think they are victims.

3. They think they are victims - yet their representatives run the government.

4.Their representatives run the government - yet the poor keep getting poorer.

5. The poor keep getting poorer - yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.

6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about - yet they want America to be more like those other countries.

Think about it! And that, my friends, pretty much sums up the USA in the 21st Century. Makes you wonder who is doing the math and the thinking.

These three, short sentences tell you a lot about the direction of our current government and cultural environment: 1. We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works.

And here's another one worth considering...

2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. How come we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's interesting is the first group "worked for" their money, but the second didn't.

Think about it..... and last, but not least,

3. Why are we cutting benefits for our veterans, no pay raises for our military and cutting our army to a level lower than before WWII, but we are not stopping the payments or benefits to illegal aliens?

13
comments:

ferschitz
said...

1. America is capitalist and greedy - yet half of the population is subsidized.

Yes, USA is capitalist & greedy. Unsure about percentage subsidized. Depends on subsidies. Middle class get lots of subsidies, like mortgage & children tax breaks, etc. The super wealthy & corporations get the BIGGEST subsidies, like 15% or lower cap gains taxes (the super wealthy mostly do not pay any income taxes at all... just like the super poor don't, but hey: only the super poor get "counted" by conservatives as "not paying any taxes"). Super wealthy & corporations also get many other HUGE tax breaks (to the point where many mega-corporations pay NO taxes whatsoever) and/or get tax incentives. Yes:Capitalist - checkGreedy - triple checkSubsidies for the mega rich - quadruple check

2. Half of the population is subsidized - yet they think they are victims.Agree!!! Have you ever read Jamie Dimon's whines about how terrible it is that the US proles don't fawn over him? Not joking. Dimon is the biggest whiner - whilst also enjoying the most gargantuan of subsidies - of any of the .01%ers, but many of his other .01% tribe are adept at victimizing themselves in similar fashions.

3. They think they are victims - yet their representatives run the government. TRUE! Factual! You have to be brain dead, live under a rock, or a Fox/Glenn/Rush addict to not realize that the fascist corporations have bought off the US Congress, are totally writing the legislation that inures to their benefit, and are completely large and in charge. Ever hear of Citizens United?

4.Their representatives run the government - yet the poor keep getting poorer. Indeed. Accurate.The transfer of wealth to the 1% over the past decade has been unprecedented, and it's a feature, not a bug, the poor keep getting poorer. That's the goal: grind them under, overwork them, so they only have time & energy to barely survive.

5. The poor keep getting poorer - yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about. True but less so these days. So now we want to compare the poor in the USA to what? Citizens of Somalia? Nigeria? Because if you count having indoor plumbing (which, btw, a certain percentage of the poor in the USA do NOT have), electricity, running water (again, a certain percentage of the poor in the USA don't have these things) or what? A tv? Then perhaps that's true. If you think that poor people in other countries don't have things like cell phones, then you'd be wrong. Cell phones are pretty prolific in third world countries. When I traveled somewhat extensively in quite a few third world countries in the '70s & '80s MOST citizens I saw had tvs, fridges, etc. It's surprising what consumer goods are available around the world. Conservatives are mistaken if they believe that everyone lives in the dregs of abject poverty that they clearly believe that many people *deserve,* especially if dusky-hued.

6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about - yet they want America to be more like those other countries. FALSE. Made up. Anymore, the poor in the USA don't have "things" that others dream of. Those "others" have similar stuff. This is an outdated notion. And please provide links that give proven factual info about "poor people" wanting America to be "more like other countries." I don't even know what this means. It's stupid and made up nonsense.

I agree with most of this, but it depends on what TRUE FACTS you use as background for these rather vague "statements."

1. We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.

a. Yes, you ARE advised not to judge all Muslims by a few lunatics. Why don't you stop being nasty bigoted, judgmental racists?

b. No, it's false that "we" are "encouraged" to judge all gun owners based on a few lunatics. That's what Rush/Glenn/Sean SAY the so-called "liberals" are doing, but that's not true. What happens is that a segment of society suggests that we have some very reasonable gun controls based on factual events. Then the NRA pumps up the volume and sends out a bunch of lies & conservatives reliably get their panties inna knot and become dug in about making NOT ONE JOT of a change to gun control laws. Which equals a LOT of money for the guns 'n ammo industries. You fools are being played, but it's not by so-called "liberals."

c. Anyway, however gun ownership may or may not be depicted in the USA - how does that have ANYTHING to do with anyone's view of Muslims? What a stupid strawman argument. One has nothing to do with the other.

How about following Matthew 7.

2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. How come we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's interesting is the first group "worked for" their money, but the second didn't.

This is so stupid on so many levels that I'll only touch on the highlights. Firstly, many citizens who happen to need typical welfare benefits, like Food Stamps, have often worked long and hard all of their lives. Many citizens have paid into these programs. Why should they not gain from them, when they need help? And finally, ever hear of WalMart? WalMart deliberately pays its "associates" so low, keeps them on part-time schedules, that they have to apply for food stamps to survive. And guess what? The greedy mega-wealthy Walton Kids provide their "associates" with Food Stamp application forms when they're hired. So, really, it's the mega-wealthy Waltons whose getting the "subsidies" here bc they can certainly well afford to pay their employees a living wage, but they don't. Why aren't conservatives complaining and whining about that?

3. Why are we cutting benefits for our veterans, no pay raises for our military and cutting our army to a level lower than before WWII, but we are not stopping the payments or benefits to illegal aliens?

Yes, why has the GOP-led House of Rep voted time and again to cut active Military & Vet benefits, including cuts to the VA? Why do they do this? Go read the voting rolls, and you'll note that, useless as the Dems are, they usually vote more often for better benefits than the GOP does. So why does that happen? And conservatives, often those in the Military, keep voting for the GOP. I don't understand that, myself. And yet again, please provide links to accurate and verifiable information about all of these alleged "benefits" that Uncle Sam is handing out to "illegal aliens." I have yet to see one good link to data that actually proves this claim. It's KKKarl Rove's magic trick: repeat a lie often enough most idiots will believe it. It's simply unfactual and not true.

I have yet to see verifiable link that the Military has truly cut the forces to levels lower than before WWII. The other side of the story, however, is that the Military is using drones for a lot of their murdering, and that means that they don't need as many boots on the ground.

Secondarily, and probably more importantly, Team USA is hiring and training more and more mercenaries than ever before, and such murderers are often paid out of black budgets, like the CIA's Afghanistan heroin profit$$$$. Not joking.

Sadly, no. A lot of citizens will buy into "your" (aka rightwing think tank) POV and not see the forest for the trees. That's what this propaganda is for - to fool most of the people most of the time and/or to fool some of the people all of the time.

1. America was capitalist and philanthropic. 2. No one was a victim 3. Our representatives represented the people. 4. No one was poor. 5. True, everyone else in the world wanted what we had, but not anymore. 6. We wanted every country to be like us, hence NAFTA, CAFTA, trade with Vietnam, etc. But now,since Barrack Obama (the "socialist/Kenyan/Muslim, nigga) became president, we want to be like Vietnam and Cambodia and Haiti.

"2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. How come we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's interesting is the first group "worked for" their money, but the second didn't. Think about it....."

Because social security is a specific program run by the federal government whereas "welfare" can mean a whole range of different programs administered at the federal, state, tribal, and private level.

Or to rephrase your question "we are always hearing about Pontiac running out of cars, but how come we never hear about America running out of cars?"

You smarmy fu$k.

Thank Reagan for painting people on welfare as insidious moochers who don't need any help but are just too lazy to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, dadgummit.

He was also kind of a smarmy fuck.

"What's interesting, is the first group [Social Security] "worked for" their money...

The second [Welfare] didn't!!!"

FALSE. WRONG. Bald-faced LIES.

I know: what else is new?

Vis Soc Sec: some people get it without "working for it." Mostly it IS children or some disabled person who had parents or relatives who "worked for it," but not everyone.

Vis Welfare: this encompasses a range of programs, including such things as Food Stamps & WIC, which often citizens have "worked for & paid for it."

I have an elderly friend, who has worked her whole life. Due to one of her main 401(k) investments being ripped off by a Bain-type (Mitt Romney) of big business bankruptcy scam, my friend has worked up until very recently at the age of 83. She is currently incapacitated & is on a variety of welfare programs, as well as drawing Soc Sec & Medicare.

Is my friend a lazy slacker moocher with her hand out expecting something for nothing??

There's a LOT of citizens, esp these days, who are in her boat and who may or may not be on programs like Food Stamps, etc.....including active military personnel.

I still hear far too many citizens whining about "entitlements," as if these caused the 2008 crash and solely & only responsible for the "debt," etc.

Wake up sheeple... such "entitlements" are but a teensy tiny part of the US budget. What's really the big sucking drag on our economy is unceasing WAR, and the War profiteering that is so lucrative for so many in the 1%, like Dick Cheney (think: Halliburton, which has changed names so often, I'm not sure what it's called now).

Most annoying, but unsurprising that a rightwing think tank would send out this canard to the easily misled & heavily propagandized.

It's because the phrase "Social Security" is not in the Constitution -- but the word "Welfare" is -- right there at the top and Capitalized.

P.S. - I realize this makes no sense, but neither did the stupid question

"Mike Hawk" is also quoting me from whenever bc the 83 year old on welfare (well she's now about 85) who was ripped off of her 401(k) plan is a good friend of mine. And yes, she worked steadily full-time until she was 83 and only stopped working then due to medical issues. That elderly lady is still accessing various types of entitlements (which she paid for), and I guess conservatives would still view her as a lousy lazy slacker with her hand out expecting something for nothing while venerating Mitt RMoney.

The Mike Hawk's of this country think it's a laff-riot to mock and deride such people as my friend because, of course, such a fate would never happen to them due to their clear superiority to everyone who has less money than they do.

Like the Walton family? Or Conrad Hilton, who described airline passengers as "peasants" this week?

There are lots of wealthy lazy people in this country and they get defended all the time. People on the Right seem to think that the likes of Conrad "My father will pay this out" Hilton are job creators.

Ostensibly to let others research its validity for you, then get back to you. Or maybe you could research/verify this, but then that could lead down the slippery slope of cognitive dissonance, wouldn't it.

"Am I the only one missing something?"

No, there are others like you that don't have the ability to think critically, and who substitute confirmation bias for insight. You're in good company but dying off faster than you're being backfilled by others due to changing demographics.

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